Dwarves
Dwarves One of the three original races to inhabit Encoron before the First God War, the Dwarves are now the single oldest surviving sapient species in existence. Only the devils that Zanza brought with him in his invasion of Fred's domain may be older. The other two, the Siiv and Warigon, dwindled into extinction shortly after the close of the First God War. Dwarves possess stocky, muscular builds, with males being more blocky and angualr while females are generally more rounded. Adults never stand taller than 4' 10" and are often broader across the shoulders than most Humans. Both grow beards, but only the males grow full beards and often go bald on their scalps after in their middle years. Females' beards only grow along the jawline and never on the neck or chin, typically styled into braids, and possess full heads of hair throughout their lives. They possess a similar sexual dimorphism as Humans, with the femeales bearing a single child per pregnancy, with twins being practicaly unheard of. Mating for life in a monogamous relationship, one child every three years is the normal pattern, with the fathers absenting themselves for the first two years after childbirth. During this time, the father is expected to provide for the mother and child, while maintaining a respectful distance. This is due more to biology than socialogy, as a Dwarven mother is every bit as protective of her newborn as any she bear with a cub. Once the mother's protective urges have wained to safe levels, the father then takes a more direct hand in helping to raise the child and produce more offspring. Dwarven children are born with fuzzy cheeks and do not develop full beards until puberty. Once beards are thick enough for adult company, they are apprenticed to another Dwarf for training in a domestic profession. It is not until they have reached their majority year of sixty that they are allowed to decide their own path. During apprenticeships, the young Dwarf continues to live with the parents, unless other arrangements are made. While at the home, the father teaches the child the use of weapons and basic unarmed comabt, while the mother teaches literacy, arithmatic, reason, and similar mental disciplines. Only the laziest and stupidest Dwarves are incapable of defending and providing for themselves. The average lifespan for a Dwarf is 350 years, give or take a decade. Most other races consider dwarves, males and females, to be tacturn and stand-offish, while most Dwarves consider the other races to be too flighty and ready to change. Once a thing has been found to work, whether it be a trade technique, social convention, or military tactic, a dwarf will be reluctant to alter it without first having devised a viable substitute. This attitude has stood the Dwarves in good stead, as the Dwarves are widely recognized as being among the greatest of craftsmen. It is a very rare Dwarf, often viewed by his peers as defective, who will make changes simply for the sake of making a change. This does not preclude the possibility of friendships between individual Dwarves and members of other races, as Dwarves love to teach what they have learned, and will accept non-Dwarf students for a reasonable fee.